My New Magical Life
by Nebulous Dawn
Summary: 15 year-old Gary Coswell has a boring life. He has no friends,his parents are always working,and he is constantly overworked in school assignments. But all of that changes one fateful Monday evening when he comes across a hole in the space-time continuum.
1. Chapter 1

My name is Gary Coswell. I used to be your average 15-year old living in an average American small town with a normal life,normal family,and a painfully shallow social life. I had no real concerns or worries other than getting good grades in school and doing my daily chores at home. I had no friends and nothing fun to do in my life,but at least I never had to worry about any unexpected surprises or change of plans because my day to day life was so predictable. I didn't have time to think about girls or parties or any of those things. I was considered by everyone at school as a nerd;a misfit;a weirdo. Indeed I had lived in the small town of Breckenridge,Missouri all my life,yet despite that,I never really connected with any of the local kids and teens for one reason or another. I was either too scared to talk to someone,or the other kid couldn't relate to me,or thought I was weird for some reason,or just wasn't friendly. There are a lot of reasons as to why my social life was pretty much nonexistent,but those were the main ones. Anyway,I had grown to hate my life and resent my experiences. I didn't know how much more of the monotony I could take before I went insane,but all of that changed on the night of March 15th. The events that took place on that Monday night changed my life forever,and nothing would ever be the same again.

"Gary! Gary! Its 6:50! You're going to be late for school!"

"Hmm...yeah be right the...",I murmured as I struggled to wake up from my deep sleep.

I opened my eyes and glanced at my alarm clock. It was 6:53 a.m.! I've only got 20 minutes before the bus arrives! I couldn't believe I had overslept like this. It wasn't like me to miss the alarm at 6:30. Then I noticed that I had forgotten to set the alarm last night. I spotted the manga I was reading last night on the floor. It was volume 5 of _Tokyo Mew Mew_. I must have fallen asleep while reading it and it fell on the floor there. Typical. I often tend to fall asleep whenever I read a magical girl manga. They're my favorite genre of manga to read. I've been a huge fan of anime and manga since I was 9,and over the years I've gained a big collection of anime and manga,from shonen to shojo,and everything else except hentai and that junk. While I enjoy many anime and manga genres,I've always had a particular affinity for magical girl types,and generally any anime or manga that are centered around girls and women,not for perverted reasons,but simply because I have a soft spot for anime girls,whether they be normal,neko,angel,demon,or whatever type;all the same I have a crush on them. This is yet another reason why other students at my school think I'm weird and avoid me;because they think its stupid and geeky for a guy to like girlish anime and manga like I do. But even when I tell them that its because I like the women,they still think that I'm gay or a drag queen in the making. But I stopped caring about what other people say and think about me a long time ago. Still,it doesn't make my life any easier.

"Gary,what's taking you so long in there!? Hurry up!",my mom shouted from downstairs.

Taking another look at the clock,I saw it was now 7:05 a.m.. I'd better get moving! It wouldn't be good to start a new school week by being late for class on a Monday morning like today. So,after a quick shower and a minute spent brushing my teeth,I dashed downstairs to the kitchen and swiped a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from mom and received a kiss on my cheek,and then a brief hug from dad,and headed out towards the curb where the bus was already waiting. As I got on board,Mrs. Patterson,the bus driver,gave me an annoyed look and said,

"I've been waiting here for five consecutive minutes. Thanks to you,I lost five minutes of my morning coffee and donut break. If I lose my break this morning as a result of your tardiness,I'll make sure you never ride my bus again! Is that clear!?"

"Yes ma'am",I replied sheepishly.

"Now take your seat!",she said with clear agitation.

I found a seat way in the back of the bus,and sat down quietly. I could hear the muffled laughter of the other students around me,and I thought to myself,this can't get any worse. Needless to say,I was wrong.

I made it to my homeroom class at 7:39 a.m.,four minutes late. Ordinarily,this would not be a big concern,but to our teacher,Mr. Ross,even a single second late to class is a travesty to the moral structure of our society. I knew what was coming when I entered the classroom. Everyone was sitting at their desks except me,and Mr. Ross was standing by the chalkboard,staring at the clock on the wall over him. Upon my arrival,Mr. Ross directed his gaze towards me. With a look of disapproval on his face and a serious frown,he began to chide me for my late entry.

"Mr. Coswell,do you know what time it is?"

"Its 7:39 sir",I replied.

"And you know very well that class starts at 7:35 a.m.,don't you?"

I nodded in reply.

"Then",continued Mr. Ross,"That begs the question as to why you arrived in my class 4 minutes later."

I had no real excuse for being late other than my own lack of good judgment stemming from my decision to stay up a little later last night in order to read a volume of _Tokyo Mew Mew_.

"How sad;you don't even have an explanation for your irresponsible action",Mr. Ross commented. "Even though this is your first infraction in my class,I'm afraid a little discipline is in order for your poor punctuality. In that case,I'll see you in detention this afternoon at 3:00,is that understood?"

"Yes sir",I answered.

"Now please take your seat so that we may begin".

I hunkered down at my desk and prepared myself mentally for what was fast becoming a very bad day.

The rest of the day from that morning on was all a blur. Before I knew it,I had gotten through with physics,civics,history,biology,English,math,and P.E.,and it was now time for me to report to detention,where I would find out just how long I would be staying there for. If anything good could be said about detention,it was that at least I wouldn't have to deal with Mr. Ross while in it. I was very thankful about that,but still,detention is detention. Later this evening,I'll have to explain to mom and dad why I got home late and then I'll have to bring up my detention as a result of being late for class this morning,and that will only result in yet another detention,this time,at home. Trying to brush off those negative thoughts and focusing on the one positive thing,the fact that Mr. Ross would be nowhere in sight while I'm in detention,I entered the detention room and to my utmost horror,there sitting at the dean's desk,was Mr. Ross,in the flesh.

Before I could stop myself,I blurted out,"What are you doing here Mr. Ross!? And where's Mrs. Winters!?"

Mr. Ross,looking even more annoyed at me than he was this morning,replied,"So you choose to begin your detention session with a rude and outrageous outburst,eh Mr. Coswell? If you must know,Mrs. Winters had to leave early today due to a family emergency,and she asked me to take over her detention supervision duty this afternoon,which I accepted".

"Mr. Ross",I began,"I'm sorry,I didn't mean to --"

"Take your seat Mr. Coswell",interrupted Mr. Ross with an agitated tone in his voice. "I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth today,is that clear?"

"Yes sir",I answered.

And with that,I took my seat at the back of the room,behind 12 other students,mostly guys,and a few girls as well. After a few minutes of just sitting at my desk in the back of that depressing room doing absolutely nothing,my mind eventually began to wonder. I started thinking of the good old days in my life,back when my mom and dad actually had time to spend with me and each other. We were so happy then. Mom would make me my favorite breakfast;chocolate chip pancakes,and I'd gobble them down like there was no tomorrow,and oftentimes dad and I went fishing together at Cedar Pine Creek,and he'd catch all the big fish while I celebrated any catch of mine,even though most fish I would catch turned out to be minnows or some other kind of small fish,and dad would tease me about my bad luck all the time. Every Christmas,dad and I would go up on the roof and set up the lights across the front,and then we'd decorate the tree,while mom was busy baking her delicious gingerbread cookies and making hot cocoa for us to enjoy together while sitting by the fireplace,as we watched the snow falling outside and talked for hours about all kinds of stuff. Then there were the times where we'd go and rent a few movies,and would sit back and enjoy them together,sometimes late into the night. Since I never had any friends my own age,mom and dad were the only real people I could hang out with and have fun. They made my life happier and better when I felt alone,depressed,and bored. But those days are long gone. Ever since dad got promoted to editor of the newspaper he works for,_The Breckenridge Messenger_,and mom got a job as a chef for the fancy 5-star _Country Villa _Hotel,they never have time to spend with me anymore. The only times I get to see them now are in the morning during breakfast and at night during dinner. The rest of the day,everyone is busy;dad with his newspaper articles,and mom with her ingredients and recipes;meanwhile I'm either doing homework,chores,or getting ready for bed.

All of that wouldn't be so bad if I had some friends to hang out with,but I don't. So,I live my day to day life like a zombie;each passing day no different than the last. I wish I had a better life like the other students of my school;they all have something in their lives that I want;a cool family,lots of friends,a girlfriend,popularity,and the thing I want the most: time for fun. I'm always overworked,either with school assignments or chores at home. I feel so trapped,as if my life is under the control of everyone else on this planet except myself.

I've wanted a girlfriend for a long time too. But all of the girls that I've talked to at school were either taken or weren't interested in me. So when you combine everything in my life that I've mentioned so far: my parents always busy,the fact that I have no friends,I'm constantly working,and I really want a girlfriend but can't get one,and you can understand why I have low levels of self-esteem and self-confidence. The only thing that helps me escape from all of my troubles is reading my manga and watching my anime shows on DVD and TV. That is the only luxury I have in my life,and without it,I don't know where I would be. Its probably the only thing that is keeping me from snapping under all the pressure and going on a psychotic rampage. But anyway,I --

"Mr. Coswell! Mr. Coswell,for the last time,get your things and go!"

"Huh? Did you say something,Mr. Ross?"

Mr. Ross' face was bright red with agitation;he looked like he could explode at any moment. "I've been calling you for the past 5 minutes,but it seems like you were in Dreamland",Mr. Ross scowled. "Detention is over,at least,for today it is. Though with your arrogant behavior continuing up to now even after your detention session,it looks to me as though you need further disciplinary action. Therefore",he continued,"you will be back in detention tomorrow at the same time as today,and fortunately for me,I won't be handling detention duties tomorrow since Mrs. Winters will be back by then".

"But Mr. Ross,I--"

"Enough! That is enough of your bickering for today,Mr. Coswell!",Mr. Ross interrupted angrily. "You can think it over when you get home! Now get going!"

Worn out and frustrated,I grabbed my book-bag and headed out of the room,walking down the long hallway to the school's front exit. As I walked out of the building,I criticized myself for zoning out during detention,which I tend to do whenever I'm bored and can't get out of a situation. How could I do that,I thought to myself,when Mr. Ross was present during the entire session. I should have known better. I turned left and headed south down the sidewalk,away from the school and into the outlying neighborhood. The sun was already setting and it would soon get dark;too dark for me to be able to see where I'm going. I looked at my watch: 7:04 P.M. I'd better hurry! I still have to walk 5 blocks before I get home! I also have a lot of homework to do once I get there! I began to walk faster,and then I started jogging,and eventually,I broke into a run. Before I knew it,I had gotten half-way home,with only 2 blocks to go. I passed by a familiar empty lot on which a small hill covered with trees was situated. I'd passed by this empty lot with the small,forested hill countless times before on my way home from school,never giving it a second thought,but this time I noticed something unusual. From the corner of my eyes I saw a glint of light coming from the woods on the hill. I stopped to get a better look,and saw that the light was pulsating,almost as if it was moving. I immediately thought that I could be watching a real-life UFO,and that I might come into contact with aliens.

My curiosity got the better of me and I quickly headed into the small forest on the hill. The light was getting closer;probably only a few feet away. As I got closer and closer to it,the light became brighter and bigger,and all of a sudden,I felt a strange vibration around me and a noise like that of a generator or air conditioner filled the area. Then a gust of wind came up,becoming a sustained gale-force wind vortex,as if I had entered some giant vacuum cleaner. Then,I saw it. The source of the light. In front of me was a huge hole,shaped like a sphere. It looked like a piece of the space-time continuum had been ripped open. It was something from straight out of a science-fiction novel. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The whole scene was surreal,and I pinched myself in order to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Nope,I definitely felt that,so I'm not dreaming or hallucinating. This thing is real! But what exactly is it? Some sort of bizarre,unknown atmospheric phenomena? Or could it really be an actual hole in the space-time continuum? I slowly outstretched my right hand and attempted to touch or at least feel the chaotic center vortex of the hole. And then,I felt myself pulled into the hole swiftly and violently,and the surroundings of the woods and the hill disappeared and were replaced by rapidly shifting lights and bright pulsing beams of what looked like neon lights.

The whole area around me was filled with nothing but bright,flashing lights,as if I were in the middle of a huge Rave or Disco club,with thousands upon thousands of disco balls,lava lamps,and studio lights. Then,I felt myself being spun around forcefully;first in a circular motion,but then just randomly being moved around,and as hard as I tried,I couldn't stop myself from flying around. I started getting dizzy and feeling light-headed. I wanted to throw up,but I was moving so fast,I couldn't even do that. Suddenly,the lights around me began to dissolve,and I slowed down as a result,but what I saw beneath me once the swirling lights faded away made me feel anything but relief. Somehow,I had been transported high up into the sky,and I was now free-falling towards the ground below at an extremely fast pace. The surface of the Earth looked so small and far away even as I was plummeting towards it at an increasingly fast speed.

I knew this was no doubt the end of my life. There was no way that I would be able to survive the impact upon hitting the ground,let alone being able to avoid impaling myself on a tree or smacking myself into the side of a mountain or cliff. How I wished that I had never seen the pulsating light of the hole in the woods while I was walking home from school,and I also wished that I had never made the mistake of touching the hole or getting up close to it. Then again,how could I have known that doing so would lead me to my death. Of course,all of that is meaningless now. I can't travel back in time and reverse my actions,so I have no choice but to accept my impending end and let everything from here on out take its place. Now,the ground was much closer and I could see the trees of a vast forest come into view;it looked likely that this would be my final resting place,the place that I would die,and where my broken,mangled body would be discovered who knows how long from now,probably by a hunter,or maybe a hiker or camper who would find me by accident during their travel through the area. Then,my body would eventually be identified,and my parents would learn of my untimely death. It will break their hearts and no doubt haunt them for the rest of their lives. Just thinking of that was painful for me,and I felt tears roll down my face as I continued to careen downwards to the forest and its surface below. I finally reached the trees' canopy and brushed against several branches and leaves as the ground quickly zoomed in closer and closer. This is it,I thought to myself. This is where it all ends. I love you mom and dad. Please don't suffer too much from my death. Besides,we'll see each other again in Heaven one day,so think of it as an extended leave instead of a permanent absence. Then,I died.


	2. Chapter 2

Blackness. Everything was black. I felt like I was floating,levitating in a wide expanse of emptiness. Where am I? This can't be Heaven,can it? It looks more like Hell. But its empty. If this is Heaven or Hell,then where are the angels or demons,or the other dead people? Is this some kind of waiting room for me to wait in until I enter the Afterlife? Maybe this isn't Heaven or Hell,but Purgatory. The place that people are said to go when they die if they aren't good enough to enter Heaven but not bad enough to enter Hell either. Still,its so quiet in here,and I don't know where to go. I hope I don't end up being stranded here forever. I'd rather be in Hell than having to spend eternity in this place. I'll go mad in here if I don't find a way out. And I thought dieing was bad,but this is even worse.

Suddenly,I heard voices. Two voices;one a girl's voice,the other a boy's. Both of them sounded around my age,but the boy sounded a little bit older than the girl. I couldn't distinguish what they were saying,but I had a feeling that they were talking about me. The darkness was fading away,and the room got brighter all of a sudden. It was then that I realized I was looking through my eyes,and that somehow I was alive. I saw a wooden ceiling in front of me,and I noticed that I was lying down on a bed in a small room,with a doorway on my left and a dead-end wall on my right. The walls were made of wood just like the ceiling,and it gave me the impression that I was in a cabin or log home of some sort.

"He's finally awake",said a female voice on my left side. "Brother,come quick,he's finally awake!"

"I'm coming",said a male's voice,presumably her brother's.

I turned around to see a girl,around 5"6 or so,with long brown hair and big brown eyes. She was white,and looked to be around my age,give or take a year. She was wearing an odd-looking outfit;a cross between a magician's and a hunter's outfit,and she had a staff or scepter of some sort on the back of her,for lack of a better word,blouse. The staff or scepter or whatever the heck it is was strapped to her back in a leather pouch or vest which was shaped identically to the staff(or scepter). She was also wearing a pair of what looked like sandals on her feet. She was both cute and beautiful,especially with the smile she currently had on her face. As a matter of fact,she was one of the most beautiful,if not **the **most beautiful girls that I had ever seen;she reminded me a lot of a typical,generic anime girl. Now that I think of it,she does look a lot like an anime girl,ripped straight out of the pages of a manga or transported from out of an anime show.

At that moment,a boy entered the room through the doorway,walking behind the girl and stopping at the other end of the room,where he stayed standing and leaning against the wall,his eyes staring intently at me. He was white,had dark brown hair like the girl,had brown eyes,also like the girl,and looked around 5 feet and 10 inches tall. He was wearing a black shirt,brown leather pants,and a pair of moccasins on his feet. He also wore a belt around his waist,which had a sheath strapped to it. Inside the sheath was a long,wide-bodied sword. The boy looked like he could have been a real-life incarnation of a young King Arthur,minus the chain mail and armor. But a more odd physical attribute of the boy was that he looked like an anime character,with his big eyes,the shape of his hair,the contours of his body,and the appearance of thin,detailed outlines around the edges of his body,most notably his arms and legs. Looking back at the girl,I noticed the same thin outlines on her body as well,most prominent,again,on the arms and legs. My thoughts were interrupted by the girl,who started to speak to me.

"Hello. My name is Akemi Himura,and that's my brother,Hibiki",she said as she pointed towards the boy in the corner. "You've been sleeping for a long time now. We were walking in the forest this morning when we found you on the ground,unconscious. We were pretty worried,because you had many broken bones and serious internal injuries;you were very close to death and I wasn't sure whether we could save you or not. But sure enough,you survived the trip from the forest to our house,and I was able to heal all of your injuries just in time. You're very lucky to be alive right now;if we hadn't been in the forest at the time,you wouldn't have made it. I'm sure you must be very confused about all of this,but could you possibly tell us what happened to you?"

I sat straight up in the bed,completely at a loss as to what to say. I was still feeling a bit disoriented. I tried to think about how I should respond,and struggled to remember what had happened to me and how I ended up being found near death by the two of them in the middle of a forest in goodness knows where. Then,everything came flooding back to me,and I saw myself leaving detention from Mr. Ross and walking towards home from school,and the hole in space pulsating in the middle of the woods on the hill,and how I touched it and suddenly found myself free-falling towards the ground from high up in the sky,and the last thing I remembered was accepting my seemingly imminent death,and then everything went black.

Akemi spoke again,"Well,do you remember anything about what happened to you? Did someone attack you,or did you fall from a tree,or what?"

I responded,"No,I...I was coming home from school when I came across a" --

"Coming home from school?",Akemi interrupted in an inquisitive tone.

"Yes",I replied,"I was coming home from school when I found this weird hole in the middle of the woods,and it was big and pulsating like an energy vortex of some kind,and then when I went to touch it,I got warped into the sky and I started falling towards the ground,and I guess I must have hit the ground in the middle of the forest so hard I broke every bone in my body,and then...I guess you guys found me and kept me alive by bringing me here and treating my injuries,right?"

Akemi looked dumbfounded,and her brother Hibiki had a very similar expression on his face. I wasn't surprised in the least that they reacted this way to my explanation. I mean,come on,who's going to believe that some kid walking home from school finds a magical hole in the space-time continuum and somehow ends up being thrust way up into the sky and then falls back down to the earth where he crashes in a forest,breaks every bone in his body,and then miraculously is found by two good Samaritans while they were walking in the forest who transport the kid to their house and treat his vast injuries and somehow the kid wakes up from being unconscious and starts questioning his saviors about who they are and where he is and how he got there. You have to admit that's pretty wild,even for a tall-tale.

Akemi and Hibiki suddenly burst out laughing,while simultaneously shaking their heads in pity. After a few minutes of non-stop laughing from both of them,Akemi managed to pull herself together and replied,

"That has got to be one of the most crazy and ridiculous stories I have ever heard in my life,and believe me,I've heard a lot of stories from many different people! You certainly have a very active imagination,or at the very least,you hit the ground so hard you smashed your brain in the process!"

Akemi burst into laughter once again,with Hibiki quickly joining in on the laugh fest. I felt humiliated,but of course,I knew I had this coming. If I was in their shoes,and I heard someone say that to me,I'd break out laughing too,or at the very least,assume that the person was insane or simply being sarcastic. But it was real;I lived through the experience of being warped into the sky by a hole in the space-time continuum which resulted in my near-death crash landing into a deserted forest in a place I didn't and still don't know. I wish there was a way I could prove it to them,but of course there isn't. The two siblings stopped laughing again,and Akemi once again started to talk.

"Ok,enough about that,we can revisit that subject later,but seriously,what is your name?"

"Gary Coswell",I answered.

To my dismay,they began laughing yet again,as I puzzled over what they could be laughing about this time.

"Oh my--ha ha ha ha...",Akemi giggled as she tried to stop laughing in order to finish talking.

"What a strange name...Gary Coswell. Is that really your name?",Akemi asked in what she tried to pass on as a serious demeanor in her motivation behind the question,though she was clearly struggling not to laugh anymore.

"Yes,that really is my name",I said. "I never thought it was a bad name though,but I guess **you **think so".

At the point of saying this,Akemi stopped laughing and the expression on her face quickly changed from one of amusement to one of shame.

"I see",she said. "So that **is **your real name. I'm sorry. I honestly thought you were joking because its such a weird name. I've never heard anything like it before".

Her statement perplexed me. My name may seem a little strange,my last name anyway,but my first name Gary is very common. As far as I could tell,Akemi seemed genuinely puzzled about my name,like she really never had heard of that name in her life. Is it possible that when the hole in space-time warped me into the sky,it had transported me over the sky of another country,on the other side of the world? Now that I think of it,their names,Akemi,and Hibiki,are definitely not English names,but sound very much like Japanese in origin. Did I land in a forest somewhere in rural Japan? If I did,then I'm in real trouble,because I'm a long way from home! However,it is a little peculiar that neither Akemi nor Hibiki have spoken any Japanese,even before I fully regained consciousness;they've spoken in no other language except English.

"There are a few things that I don't understand about all of this",I stated. "Let me ask you;I know this is going to come across as a weird question but,I have to know".

"Sure,ask away",Akemi replied.

And so I began my turn of questioning: "Ok first off,where am I? What country is this,and what county or province are we in? Is it Japan?"

"Japan?" Akemi was lost in thought,as if she was having trouble coming up with an answer to a simple question. "I'm sorry,but I don't know any place called Japan",she answered. "We are here,on the outskirts of Rukai Forest,and not too far from what remains of Shokano Village. Are you familiar with this area Gary?"

I can't believe this. She has never heard of Japan? Is this girl for real,or is she just pulling my leg? But I keep getting this eerie feeling that she is being genuinely honest towards me. "Ok look,maybe you really never have heard of Japan before,but surely you know about the United States,right?"

"I'm sorry,but I do not know of it either",Akemi responded in a most sincere tone.

I started to panic. This is crazy. How could she not know anything about the United States of America or Japan,and on top of that,I'm not familiar with Rukai Forest or Shokano Village. Darn it. At this rate,I'll never find out where I am or how to get back home before my parents get worried and I get in deep trouble for being gone for so long. Wait a minute! An idea just floated into my head. I completely forgot that I have my bookbag from school with me. Inside it is a map of the world which I often use during geography class to study. I'll just take that map out and show it to Akemi,and I'm sure she'll be able to point out where we are,and then I'll be able to plan my route back home. I looked for my bookbag,but it was nowhere near the bed. I then scanned the entire room from the doorway on my left to the extreme right wall near where Hibiki was still leaning against the corner of the room. It was nowhere in sight. I hope I didn't lose it during my encounter with the raging hole vortex in the sky and the resulting fall towards the ground. I have to ask Akemi if she has it or knows where it is,because if she doesn't know about it,I'm in a whole heap of trouble.

"Akemi,did you ever happen to come across a bag that I had with me?"

"Let me think...hmmm...ah yes,I did!",she said excitedly. "I put it in the den by the fireplace;let me get it! I'll be right back!"

A minute later,Akemi returned with my bookbag,much to my delight.

"Thank you", I said.

I immediately took the bag and unzipped the top compartment,and started rummaging through its contents,desperately looking for the map which might very well lead to my salvation and seeing my home,parents,and school again. I eventually found it at the bottom of the pocket,and eagerly snatched it out and unfolded it.

"Here,look at this",I said to Akemi. "Can you point out on this map where we are currently located?"

Akemi grabbed the map from me and studied it carefully. Minutes went by,and still,Akemi was studying the map,her eyes meticulously reading every inch of it. I grew more nervous and anxious by the second,and just when I began to think she would never finish,Akemi gave me her answer. "This map is wrong. It doesn't show anything in its proper location,and not only that,it seems to be so different from this world,that I would have to say that this map is from another planet. These landmasses are new to me,and I know this world very well,so I know when I see something that doesn't match up with the landscape on this entire planet."

I almost fell off the bed when I heard what Akemi said. This is not happening,I thought. It can't be. She's just geographically illiterate,that's all. That's all there is to it. Nothing to worry about. I'm sure Hibiki will be able to identify where we are on the map,and everything will be ok after that.

"Gary,you really are strange",Akemi remarked. "Everything about you is unusual,and this map is the strangest factor of all surrounding your identity. But I think I finally understand you now. You are not familiar with this place or anywhere on our world,because you are not from our world;you came from another planet which looks very different to this one."

At this point,I was breathing very heavily,as if a giant anvil had been placed on my chest,and my mind was going haywire,trying to process everything that I'd heard and the repercussions that they entailed. This was all too much,too fast. I was actually transported not to another country,but to a whole other planet in a parallel universe,a universe in which anime characters were real people,with real lives and real personalities. That means that the two of them,the brother and sister,the siblings,Akemi and Hibiki Himura,are real-life anime people,and they're standing right in front of me. After acknowledging all of that information,I snapped and went crazy.

"Oh my god! Its really true! You guys are both real anime characters! My dream has finally come true! Oh wow! I bet I'll be able to find and meet all of my favorite people,like Ichigo Momomiya and the Mew Mews from _Tokyo Mew Mew_,and Kaede,Nerine,Lisianthus,Primula,and Asa from _Shuffle!_,and Saber and Rin Tohsaka from _Fate/Stay Night_,and ooh,ooh,I almost forgot about the shounen anime and manga like Goku and Vegeta from _Dragonball Z _and _GT_,and Naru--"

Suddenly a fierce force knocked me down onto the bed,and I felt a strong desire to sleep,and I closed my eyes. As I drifted into a deep sleep,I overheard Akemi's voice. She said something like this:

"I'm so sorry Gary...but I had to put you to sleep. You were getting too wild and out of control,and I had to do it for your own good. I hope you can forgive me once you wake up again".

And with those words,I drifted into the most peaceful and heavy sleep that I have ever experienced in my entire life.


	3. Chapter 3

Oh no! I'm late for school again! How could I oversleep again after all the trouble I went through the first time this happened!? Its 8:00 a.m.! The bus has already left for school,and I'm not on it! I've got to go now! I quickly changed into some fresh clothes,dashed into the bathroom to brush my teeth,and ran down the stairs passing by the kitchen,not stopping to grab my breakfast,and raced out the front door. I have no choice but to run the whole distance from my house to the school;a full 2 miles to travel before I make it to my homeroom class. Mr. Ross is going to be so pissed off at me by the time I get there!

Before I know it,the school is within my sights. I must have been thinking so hard that time just flew by and here I am. With no time to lose,I burst through the main hall doorway and run as fast as I can down the hall and make a right turn onto another hallway. I continue down the hall until I reach room #92;Mr. Ross' classroom,and open the door. As expected,all of the other students were already in their seats,their eyes focused on their textbooks,that is,until I came in. Suddenly,all the attention was on me,and right on cue,Mr. Ross emerged from his desk and walked toward me,his eyes filled with anger and disdain.

"How nice of you to join us,Mr. Coswell." "You have finally chosen to grace us with your presence on this fine morning." "Even better,you're only 45 minutes late for class and today's test."

"Mr. Ross", I replied,"I honestly don't know what happened to me this morning. I went to sleep early last night and I set up my alarm clock for 6:15 as always,but for some reason,I--"

"Enough!",bellowed Mr. Ross. "I have had it with your pathetic excuses!" "You used to be such a punctual young man,but recently,you've been more and more undisciplined and disorganized,and even after I gave you that long detention yesterday,you still continue to show up late,and on a test day no less!" "It is obvious to me that you no longer value your education,and so,as a result of your continued defiance on the matter,I have no choice but to enact the most serious disciplinary action on you." "Attention class!",Mr. Ross commanded as he turned to face the students,"I need all of you to stop working on your tests and head out of the classroom,right now." "And make it quick." The students immediately got up from their desks and exited the classroom in an orderly but fast fashion.

After the last student exited and closed the door,Mr. Ross immediately locked the door from the inside and then turned to face me again. He had a very serious and grim expression on his face,more serious and threatening than I've ever seen him show before. Then he spoke once again;"Its a shame that it had to come to this,Mr. Coswell." "You had so much potential;so much vigor;so much intelligence,and yet,in the end,you have disappointed me like all the others in the many years that I have been teaching in this school." "I thought you were the one;the student who I've been waiting for in all of my 25 years of teaching;the student who would rise above all the rest and surpass everyone else,including me,in grades and intelligence and resilience,and would eventually become the greatest genius that the world has ever seen,and as a result,would catapult me and my reputation into the international spotlight,where I would become rich and famous,and my name would be known all over the world;then it would only be a matter of time before I would become President of the United States of America,and then,I would use all of this nation's diplomatic,economic,and military resources to conquer the world and become lord and overseer of the entire planet,and everyone would bow to me,the god of all humans!" "But after 25 wasted years,none of my students have proven to be the great genius that I so longed for and yearned for;by far you were my best candidate,my Holy Grail,but you deceived me;you let me down;you failed!!" "And now I will make you pay for all of the misery and trouble that you have caused me!!"

Right before my eyes,Mr. Ross transformed into a fierce-looking dragon. The dragon had black scales,with orange wings,an orange tail,and blood red eyes.

"Now die!!"

Mr. Ross the dragon opened his mouth wide and shot out a wave of burning hot fire towards me. I'm too terrified to move. As much as I want to,my body does not respond. So this is really it. This time I really will die. Damn it! No,I'm not ready to die! Not yet!! Nooooooooooooo!!

I sit straight up,gasping for air,panting heavily;my heart beating hard against my chest. I can feel my blood rushing throughout my body;I'm sweating like I just came out of a sauna. My pulse is racing. Just then,my mind catches up with me and I survey my surroundings. Everything comes back to me;all the events of yesterday play out in my head. The last thing I remember is Akemi telling me she's sorry and I fall asleep. Wow,what a crazy nightmare that was about Mr. Ross. Anyway,I'm still here in this room,in this place,in a world where anime characters are real people. That means that everything I experienced yesterday was real. I really have been warped into another dimension or planet or something. But where are Akemi and Hibiki? They're not in this room and I don't hear them anywhere in the cabin either.

I get up from the bed and walk out of the room. I find myself in what looks like a living room or den of sorts. To my left are two bedrooms at the end of the living room,in front of me is a fireplace surrounded by two sofas and a recliner chair,and to my right,there is a kitchen on one side and a bathroom(in terrible disrepair)on the other side,and straight down at the other end of the cabin is a door,which appears to lead outside. A little bit of what appears to be sunlight is filtering through the bottom crack of the door. Seeing this,I decide to investigate and head down the den towards the door,passing the kitchen,which appears to have no refrigerator,stove,microwave,or any modern appliances that one would expect to find in a typical kitchen,and I also pass by the bathroom,where I notice,much to my alarm,there is no toilet,sink,or shower,at least not ones that I or most other people would recognize;I return my focus to the door in front of me,and as soon as I reach it,I catch a glimpse of something in the corner of my right eye that makes me stop dead in my tracks.

I turn to my right to see a large,old-fashioned wood-framed mirror. Its covered with a hefty amount of dust and a few cobwebs,but I can still see my reflection in the mirror,and that's what caught my attention in the first place. I could not believe what I was seeing in the mirror. It was me,for sure,but not the same old me that I'm used to seeing in mirrors;no,the me I saw in that mirror looked like an anime-styled version of myself. This is just insane! It was hard enough for me to come to terms with the fact that I was warped into a world with real anime people,but to think that I've been changed into an anime person as well is...well its just...mind blowing!

Before I had a chance to reflect more on my startling discovery,I was distracted by the sound of a flute being played. It sounded like it was coming from outside the cabin. It was a beautiful melody;one which I didn't recognize but what sounded to me like some sort of lullaby song. I felt compelled to find out who was playing this heavenly song;this master flutist who just happened to be playing right next to the cabin in which I was residing. So,with intense curiosity taking over me,I walked away from the mirror and opened the door and stepped out into a beautiful outdoor scenery;a lush green clearing surrounded by a massive forest on two sides and a huge lake next to which was a small town,situated along the southern banks of that lake,and the perfect accentuation on this majestic view was the cloudless blue sky and a radiant sun,shining with all its glory.

But to me,as beautiful a sight as all of that natural scenery was,it paled in comparison to the girl playing the flute sitting in the middle of the grassy clearing. The sun shined upon her back,illuminating her long and silky brown hair,while a sudden gentle breeze pulled and stretched her hair in a dramatic slow-motion dance,flapping up and down,back and forth,and just as suddenly as it came,the soft breeze disappeared and her long,radiant hair fell back down to its normal angle. At that moment,she finished her song,and lay down her wooden flute on the grass next to her,and,as if she knew I was there all this time,she turned around and faced me with a warm smile. Akemi Himura. She is the first girl in my life who has ever noticed me,shown me kindness,and talked to me. Akemi Himura. Just who is this girl and what is it about her that has me so captivated and enchanted?


	4. Chapter 4

Akemi looked straight at me with a smile that could melt any man's composure with its sheer beauty and purity. It seemed like an eternity that she and I gazed at each other from afar before she finally said something.

"Good morning sleepy-head",she said in a sweet tone. "Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning", I replied. "I did sleep pretty well,aside from a bad dream I had".

"Oh yes",Akemi responded,"I remember shortly after I woke up this morning,when I passed your room on my way outside,I heard you talking and shouting in your sleep. You were really caught up in your dream because you were twisting and moving about,and you were sweating as well. It must have been quite a scary dream".

"It was,though it was just as ridiculous as it was scary",I said. "By the way,where's Hibiki?"

"He went into the forest not too long ago to get something for breakfast and gather firewood".

"He went into the forest to get some **breakfast**?!",I asked in surprise and confusion.

"Yes. Why is that surprising to you?"

"Um,I don't know where to start..."

"Do people not hunt for food in your world,Gary?"

"Well...some of them do,but most people simply buy food from grocery stores or markets".

"Gro-ce-ry store?",Akemi inquired with difficulty.

"A grocery store is a place where people buy many different kinds of food,such as chicken,beef,pork,vegetables,fruits,bread,cereals,and a bunch of others as well",I explained.

"So do they keep the animals in some sort of pen,or do they simply let them run about the store and let people choose which one they want to buy and then a hunter or butcher comes and kills that animal so they can eat it?"

If I were a real anime character,I would have fallen down in a stereotypical manner in response to Akemi's crazy question right then and there,but of course I didn't. Still,I was at a loss for words after hearing that.

Fortunately for me,I didn't have to reply to that question because Akemi was about to speak again.

"Never mind Gary. You can try to explain that to me later,but right now,I need to talk to you about a lot of serious and important things. Come over here and sit down next to me. This will take a while to explain,so please make yourself comfortable".

Akemi raised her left arm and patted the ground next to her,motioning for me to sit next to her.

What is this all about? This is an abrupt change in her body language and demeanor. What does she want to tell me? Is something wrong?

I walk over to where Akemi is sitting,and sit down next to her on her left side. I look at Akemi and see her facial expression change from her usual happy,pleasant self to one of utmost seriousness and even a hint of anger.

After a few minutes of silence in which she seemed to be gathering her thoughts,she began to speak.

"That song that you heard me play on my flute just now...it was a lullaby that my mother used to sing to me before I went to sleep when I was little. My mother taught me how to play the flute a long time ago. This was her flute...she gave it to me as a present one day and ever since,I've kept it with me,playing it every day;I made it a ritual to play my mother's lullaby

song with this flute every day,as a way to remember and honor her".

"Where is your mother now?", I asked.

Akemi had a more solemn look on her face now than she did before. She answered in a cold,emotionless tone: "My mother has been dead for 10 years,as has my father. They were murdered."

Her answer stunned me. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked such a personal question. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I wanted you to know."

"Why?"

"You need to know,Gary. You need to know everything about me as well as Hibiki. There are a lot of things that I have to tell you before the situation gets complicated and things get dangerous. So I need you to listen very closely to everything that I'm about to tell you."

"Okay,I'm listening".

"Since the beginning of time,people have lived on this planet. Every person was regarded as equal to other people,regardless of gender,physical appearance,economic status,popularity,or any other factor. All over the world,there was nothing but peace and prosperity. War was an unknown concept at the time,and as a result of all those years of peace and stability,the collective knowledge and technology of the world's people flourished and evolved,which led to many important and groundbreaking discoveries,most important of all,was the discovery of the universe and the magical elements that it contains.

It was discovered that the universe was comprised of two basic,overarching energies;light matter and dark matter. These two infinitely powerful energy forces created the universe and reality as we know it,and they are both constantly active throughout the entire universe. These forces,light matter,and dark matter,are the sources of all of the elements that exist in the universe. Light matter is the source of fire,water,wind,and earth,while dark matter is the source of metal,wood,psychic energy,and electricity.

As if that wasn't amazing enough,it was also discovered that certain people within specific family bloodlines had the ability to tap into the magic energies of the universe and use those energies for a variety of things,such as using the element of fire to cook meals faster and easier,or using psychic powers to convert and transmute pebbles and other rocks into gold and then sell them for huge profits. But at the time,all of the magic abilities that those gifted people had were used for peaceful and positive purposes,and never as a means to hurt or bring suffering unto others.

These special people were called magi,meaning users of magic,and over time,they began to be worshiped as gods by the common people. They were held in the highest regard amongst everyone;even the kings of the many different nations respected and idolized them. However,this would not last forever,because a century or two later,an incident involving a mage and a regular person would drastically change the course of history and the world.

Two young boys were playing together outside of a small village. One of them was a mage,the other was not. They were just having fun and running around. Everything seemed to be fine,but as time went on,the boys started to get carried away and began playing rough,wrestling each other in a friendly game of strength,as boys often do. The mage boy,whose name was Keiichiro,was losing against his friend,and was being pinned down. The pressure that his friend was exerting on him was getting too painful,and so Keiichiro told the boy to stop and that he didn't want to wrestle anymore.

But his friend didn't believe him,and thought that he was just joking around and taunting him,so he kept pinning him down,and even pushed him harder and harder,all the while Keiichiro's pain grew worse and worse. He begged him to stop,but his friend would not relent,and then,tragedy struck.

Since he was fairly young,Keiichiro still hadn't completely learned how to control his magic powers,and as a result,his physical pain initiated an involuntary magic attack which knocked back his friend off of him and forcefully slammed the boy against the ground. After overcoming his initial shock,Keiichiro got up and ran over to his friend. His body was mangled and twisted in an irregular angle,as his spine and most of his ribs were broken,and he was also suffering from internal bleeding.

Keiichiro was frozen in fear and grief,and he didn't want to leave his friend's side. He watched as his friend died right before his eyes. Not long afterwards,Keiichiro was running through the village with his dead friend in his arms,crying hysterically the whole way. Once he reached his friend's family house,he handed over the boy's lifeless body to his mother,and explained everything that had happened to the boy's family,and apologized profusely over and over again,trying his best not to let his grief overcome him.

The family was understandably very upset,and as soon as Keiichiro was done explaining everything,he was kicked out of the house. Deciding that there was nothing more he could do,Keiichiro headed home to his own family. Later that night,Keiichiro was awakened by the sound of a loud commotion outside his house. When he went to check the front window of the house,he saw that a big,angry mob was congregated outside the front door. Amongst the droves of people were dozens of torches and swords. Scared for his life,Keiichiro quickly woke up his mother and father,and alerted them to the situation at hand.

By this time,the mob had set the house on fire with their torches,and were waiting for the family to exit the front door so they could ambush them. But Keiichiro's mother and father knew better,and told Keiichiro to leave the house through his bedroom window in the back. But he did not want to leave without his parents. No matter how much he begged them to come,they wouldn't budge.

In the end,Keiichiro's father picked him up and forcibly pushed him out of his bedroom window. But Keiichiro couldn't bring himself to run away,and instead,he ran to the front of the house and stood behind the mob,their backs turned to him. He then witnessed his father and mother come out of their burning house,and defend themselves against their numerous attackers. Keiichiro's father,a mage himself,attacked the left half of the mob one by one with powerful magic spells,while his mother,a skilled martial artist,dealt with the right half of the mob. Though they managed to defeat many of them,they were overcome with overwhelming might in the end,as Keiichiro watched in horror.

After brutally killing his parents,what remained of the mob turned their attention on Keiichiro himself. He desperately tried to escape,running as fast as he could,but eventually his feet grew tired,his legs buckled,and he collapsed to the ground in sheer exhaustion. It wasn't very long before the mob caught up to him,and despite his desperate pleas,Keiichiro was killed. His body was found a few days later inside a deep well. It was savagely beaten and mutilated beyond belief.

The father of Keiichiro's friend was found to be responsible for orchestrating the mob attack,and was soon put to death for his crimes,as well as the remaining survivors of the mob. But the damage to mage-common people relations was done. News of the terrible events that had unfolded in that small village quickly reached every corner of the world,and tensions rose between mages and common people alike. They began to hate each other,and thus an age of discrimination and evil began. Eventually,the common people had had enough of the status quo,and petitioned the kings in their respective countries to declare war on all mages everywhere,and the kings of all nations unanimously agreed to do so,and thus,the first of two devastating wars began.

Neither commoners nor mages won the war,with both sides sustaining heavy casualties. In the end,a truce was called and a peace treaty was agreed upon and signed,ending the war and bringing peace and stability back to the world. From that day on,peace reigned supreme over all nations,as kingdoms and citizens rebuilt their cities and villages,and slowly life returned to normal. Relations between commoners and mages healed over the years,and soon,it wasn't long before people forgot about the war and began looking toward the future.

And that brings it back to Hibiki and I. Hibiki was born 17 years ago,and I was born 2 years later. Our mother was a homemaker;she took care of us and our home while our father was away on business. He was a mage,just like me. He worked as a member of the International Council of Mages,an organization that was created after the war to protect mages and their rights,as well as encouraging the promotion of mage-commoner dialog.

One of the Council's greatest achievements was the creation and implementation of the scepter. A scepter is an instrument through which magic can be regulated and discharged,but can only be activated by vocal commands,and only those of the mage that the scepter is entrusted to. In other words,no longer could mages wield their magic at will with their body,mind,and soul. All mages would be required to have a scepter in order to use their magical abilities. This was done in order to prevent a re-occurrence of the tragedy that had befallen Keiichiro and his friend which in turn sparked the mage-commoner war that had taken so many lives and caused a great deal of destruction.

To ensure that all newly born mages were compliant with the new regulations,the mother and father or legal guardians were bound by law to bring their mage child to the International Council of Mages,where the baby's magic powers were sealed and bounded to a scepter through an advanced alchemical incantation ceremony,thus ensuring that all mages would be forced to use a scepter in order to use magic,and that in turn,kept their power in check and drastically reduced the risk of either accidental death or intentional misuse through any magic at the hands of all mages in the world.

However,despite these new regulations,there were still those who managed to slip under the eyes of the law;mages who refused to bound their power to a scepter,for a variety of reasons. Some of them saw the new law as condescending to mages,while others simply didn't want to be constrained by anything and wanted to keep their freedom to be able to use their magic abilities whenever and however they desired. These mage families decided to flee from their countries and start new lives in ungoverned territories,where they established their own villages and governments. As time went by,more and more of these outcast villages were founded,and eventually there became so many,it was necessary to consolidate several villages that were scattered across the lands and merge them into unified states.

In the end,three different states were created;the kingdom of Shukumei,the kingdom of Songen,and the kingdom of Shinsei. Not long after this,consensus amongst the mages and their families and the rulers of the three states grew in favor of unifying the states into one nation,and so,only a few months after the states were established,they were combined together into a single large country which was given the name Buryoutougen. The dissident mages of this new kingdom wanted to create an organization equal in power to the International Council of Mages,which had representatives and members in every country in the world,and as a result,the Order of Magical Dominion was born.

The mission of the Order of Magical Dominion was to counter the policies and ideals of the International Council of Mages in any way possible. The corrupted mages of this organization conspired to destroy the International Council of Mages and kill all non-mage people in the world. They also sought to destroy all scepters in existence,which would eliminate the only threat to what they saw as their personal freedoms as mages.

After the other nations of the world learned of the newly formed country of Buryoutougen and the intentions of the Order of Magical Dominion,they sought to avoid another global war by appeasing the wants and needs of the country,such as paying tribute in the form of food,resources,money,and weapons,and in return,the mages of Buryoutougen and the Order of Magical Dominion vowed not to attack the other kingdoms of the world. In fact,a peace agreement was signed by all nations,and it seemed as though the efforts to avoid another war were successful. However,that would not turn out to be the case.

One day,four years before Hibiki was born,the Order of Magical Dominion sent a spy to infiltrate the headquarters of the International Council of Mages in the capital city of Isamashii Kingdom,Guruzan. This spy was a skilled mage named Osamu Kurosawa. He was also a brilliant scientist and alchemist,being able to cast spells and create potions and elixirs that no other mage could. His mission was to integrate into the inner workings of the Council and conduct surveillance on their activities as well as study the depth of their knowledge on magic,the elements,and the properties of the universe.

Osamu succeeded in acquiring membership into the Council,and with his magic skills and scientific and alchemical genius,it wasn't long before he rose through the ranks to become the Council's Chief Officer of Magic & Alchemy Sciences,and it was in that position that he met my father,who was the Executive Director of Mage-Commoner Diplomacy. From that moment on,my father and him became fast friends,exchanging ideas and talking about projects that they were working on in their respective fields.

But unknown to my father and the rest of the Council members,Osamu was hard at work using his magical and alchemical prowess and the tools he had access to in the Council building's laboratory to conduct various experiments,all of which involved the use of forbidden spells and potions. Utilizing everything he had learned throughout his career,he attempted to conduct these experiments in order to prove a long-debated and controversial theory which states that there are many universes,not just one,and in each universe,there are different dimensions and alternate realities which exist and that these other universes and alternate realities can be reached by manipulating light and dark matter in certain patterns or even using magic to fuse light matter and dark matter together and create origin,the theorized source of all matter and all existence;in other words,the beginning of the beginning,the existence of existence,the force that instigated the formation of matter which led to the creation of the universe and life itself.

Though it was only a theory and had never been confirmed to be true,Osamu was convinced that it was all true and that he could prove it to the world. For four years,Osamu managed to keep his project a secret from the Council,as he toiled away relentlessly in his quest. But Osamu never succeeded in his numerous attempts to fuse light and dark matter together and consequentially failed to create origin. A few weeks after Hibiki was born,our father discovered Osamu's project when he arrived at the Council building late at night in order to finish some extra work that he had to do;Osamu was not working or present in the Council at that late hour,so our father stumbled upon the hidden tools and notes in the laboratory by sheer chance.

Needless to say,father brought the disturbing evidence to light the next day during a special meeting of the full Council which he had requested and was granted by the Council President. Due to the overwhelming,incontrovertible evidence against Osamu and our father's testimony against him,the Council unanimously voted to permanently expel Osamu from the organization and revoke his membership. Shortly after his departure,the Council discovered that he was a spy from the Order of Magical Dominion,and in light of this revelation,they immediately petitioned the king of Isamashii Kingdom,who in turn related the information to the other kings of the world's nations,and once the information had been fully circulated to everyone,the many nations decided to form a military alliance with each other as well as the independent International Council of Mages and uniformly declared war on the country of Buryoutougen and the Order of Magical Dominion,thus initiating the second and final war before the end of the era.

The combined might of the commoner armies and the mages of the Council proved to be more than the mages of Buryoutougen and the Order could handle,and with this realization setting in,the surviving mages of the Order retreated from the battlefront and managed to escape into the wilderness,but Osamu was not among them and was nowhere to be seen throughout the course of the entire war. After the fall of Buryoutougen and the dissolution of the Order of Magical Dominion,groups of mages and soldiers set out searching for the escaped mages of the Order,but month after month went by,and there was still no sign of them or where they had gone to,and after a whole year had passed,the massive search efforts were called off indefinitely,and the whereabouts of Osamu and the other rebel mages remained a mystery.

Two years after the war,I was born. Those were peaceful times;Osamu and the others were still missing,and so life was fairly normal. Hibiki was already 2 years-old,and had not shown any signs of being a mage,so when I was born,being a girl,my mother and father's hopes of having a mage child were dashed,as girl mages were very rare historically;female mages were born on average once every eight generations;in terms of time,that's at least every 500 years. So naturally,my mother and father were very surprised and extremely overjoyed when I began to exhibit magical abilities when I was around 16 months old. After they took me to the Council to have my power sealed and bounded to a scepter,they waited until I was 4 years-old before they began to address my magehood again;this time in the form of training.

My father,being the only other mage in the family,taught me all about mages and the powers they have,and trained me to control my magic and use my scepter to cast spells and attacks,and I remember my father telling me I was a fast learner and if I kept practicing hard every day,I would become a great and powerful mage. But he also taught me that the responsibility of having and using magic is as great as the magic itself,and that mages should always use their magic for good and only use magic as a weapon in self-defense and in situations when your family and friends or innocent bystanders are in danger.

At the time,I could never have imagined what would happen to my mother and father only a year later. When I was just 5 years-old and Hibiki was 7,our mother and father took us to a special family gathering at the Council where they were celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Council. Every mage of the Council and their families were there,and people were dancing,eating delicious food,and chatting with each other. It was a happy occasion,and everyone was enjoying it. I remember every second of what happened next.

There was a sudden loud explosion outside the building,which caused everyone inside to stop what they were doing and stare at the door entryway. Then,the front wall of the building blew up and smoke covered the entire area. When the smoke cleared,I saw hundreds of people dressed in black robes from head to toe standing where the wall and door had been. Then,one of the robed people walked up in front of the others,and pulled the hood from his head,revealing his face. It was Osamu. Taking advantage of everyone's shock and surprise,he spoke to everyone in the room. I remember him saying that we would all pay with our lives for what the Council and mages did to him and his country. After that,everything is a blur. The next thing I know is that a huge fight is going on,with the Council mages fighting against the Order mages,and I saw my father fighting too,while our mother held Hibiki and I close to her.

Father defeated a lot of mages,but then Osamu approached him,and they started to fight each other,but it quickly became apparent to mother,Hibiki,and I that father was no match for Osamu. The last words I ever heard from my father were spoken at that moment when he said,"Hibiki,take your sister now and go! You'll be able to escape through the back entrance of the building. Go now! Hurry!"

Then,I heard the last words from my mother. She said,"Do as your father told you Hibiki! You have to run away right now! Take good care of Akemi for us. I love you Hibiki,and I love you too Akemi."

Hibiki grabbed me tightly by the arm and we ran for our lives. We kept running and running,never looking back. But I remember we were both crying and shaking with fear the whole time. It seemed like forever that we were still running but we were able to make it out of the building through the back doorway and escaped with our lives. We kept on running and running and running long after we left the Council building. We didn't stop running until we were both completely out of breath and drained,and then we just fell to the ground and cried ourselves to sleep.

When we woke up the next morning,we realized that we had run deep into a thick forest,and we didn't know how to get out. I was afraid and confused,but Hibiki took charge of the situation and somehow got us out of the forest and we eventually found ourselves back in the capital city and at what remained of the Council building. What we saw inside I'll never forget. Hundreds of dead bodies strewn all over the place,some burned,others slashed,and still others covered in blood. We found our mother and father's bodies close to each other. They weren't as horribly beaten as the others,but they were still dead. Osamu was still alive,because his body was nowhere to be seen,and somehow,we both could sense his presence even though he had left the city by that time.

Osamu had murdered our parents,as well as almost every other mage in the world,and he did it in just one night. From that day onward,Hibiki and I vowed to avenge the deaths of our father and mother,as well as all of the other mages who were killed. Over the past 10 years,Hibiki and I have trained ourselves to become stronger,Hibiki became a master swordsman,and I grew into the strong and capable mage you see right before your eyes. When we weren't training,we were busy fighting and destroying Osamu's many henchmen and mutant creatures. We've been able to save many lives from Osamu's tyranny,but many more lost their lives all over the world.

Despite everything that we have done to combat him,Osamu has still managed to become much more powerful over the decade since he took control over the world. We're nothing but insects compared to him. For every servant of his we take down,five new ones appear. Its a never ending battle against him. We've both come so far,yet sometimes I feel like everything we do is in vain."

Akemi's account of her world's history and her personal past overwhelmed me. What am I supposed to say after hearing all of that? Somehow saying I'm sorry just won't cut it.

"Wait a minute",I said. "Why did you have to tell me your life story and all of that history. What good will that do? What exactly do you want from me?"

"I told you all of that because you're going to be staying with us for a long time,and eventually,we're going to leave this house and travel to another area where we can live for a while. Hibiki and I do this every few months to ensure we aren't detected by any of Osamu's mutant creatures or henchmen who constantly patrol the world,looking for us and maintaining order across the lands that Osamu now controls with an iron fist",answered Akemi.

"Also",Akemi continued,"Hibiki and I talked it over last night while you were sleeping,and we decided to help you get back home through another dimensional portal. But in return for this favor and also for your own safety,you will have to learn how to fight,with both your bare hands and with weapons. Hibiki has agreed to train you in basic self-defense and sword-fighting. You'll be starting your training tomorrow. What do you think? Will you accept our offer?"

"Well...I don't like the idea of me having to fight these crazy enemies of yours but...I don't want to be stranded here in this world forever either. I guess I don't have a choice. Fine,I accept."

"Alright then! We're all set now!",Akemi replied cheerfully. She was back to her normal happy self again,as if her long explanation of history was never spoken.

And right at that moment,Hibiki came out of the forest on my right side,carrying a large deer in his left hand and his sword,stained with blood,in his right hand. On his back was a bag filled to the top with logs,to be used as firewood.

After piling up all of the logs in a circular mound,Hibiki sat down while Akemi stood up and faced the mound of logs. Now the only thing that was missing was the fire itself.

"Um,aren't you guys going to find a rock or some sort of chisel to light a fire?",I asked without thinking.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten about what I am",Akemi quipped. "I've got this under control;just watch."

And with that said,Akemi pulled out her scepter from her back strap and pointed it at the log mound. "Ember Spark!" Immediately a small stream of fire discharged from the scepter and made contact with the log mound,creating a nice,warm fire.

Hibiki placed the deer on the campfire,and after around 10 minutes or so of waiting,Hibiki took the deer off the fire and went inside the cabin while Akemi doused the fire with a water spell.

A few minutes later,Hibiki,Akemi,and I were all sitting on the kitchen floor around a wooden "table" which looked more like an over sized surfboard to me. "Breakfast" was served,and as the siblings began to eat their slices,I couldn't help contemplating the fact that for the very first time in my life,I was about to eat deer for breakfast. Uh...yeah.


End file.
